Brokerages expect that Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE:BIG) will report earnings per share (EPS) of $2.42 for the current quarter, according to Zacks Investment Research. Seven analysts have made estimates for Big Lots’ earnings, with estimates ranging from $2.37 to $2.53. Big Lots posted earnings per share of $2.26 during the same quarter last year, which would indicate a positive year over year growth rate of 7.1%. The company is expected to report its next quarterly earnings results on Friday, March 2nd.

On average, analysts expect that Big Lots will report full year earnings of $4.29 per share for the current fiscal year, with EPS estimates ranging from $4.24 to $4.41. For the next fiscal year, analysts forecast that the firm will report earnings of $4.94 per share, with EPS estimates ranging from $4.42 to $5.52. Zacks’ EPS calculations are a mean average based on a survey of analysts that that provide coverage for Big Lots.

Get Big Lots alerts:

Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, December 1st. The company reported $0.06 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the Zacks’ consensus estimate of $0.04 by $0.02. Big Lots had a net margin of 3.36% and a return on equity of 30.17%. The business had revenue of $1.11 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.11 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.04 EPS. Big Lots’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year.

BIG has been the topic of a number of research reports. KeyCorp reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $58.00 price objective on shares of Big Lots in a research note on Friday, November 10th. Zacks Investment Research lowered shares of Big Lots from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 21st. Raymond James Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $67.00 price objective on shares of Big Lots in a research note on Saturday, December 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on shares of Big Lots from $56.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Monday, December 4th. Finally, Citigroup set a $69.00 price objective on shares of Big Lots and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 5th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. The stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $62.40.

Shares of Big Lots (NYSE:BIG) traded down $1.56 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $55.14. 1,007,998 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,021,573. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a current ratio of 1.66 and a quick ratio of 0.24. Big Lots has a twelve month low of $45.10 and a twelve month high of $64.42. The firm has a market cap of $2,383.26, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.95.

In related news, Director Jeffrey Paul Berger sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, January 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.00, for a total transaction of $348,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 7,566 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $438,828. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Timothy A. Johnson sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.00, for a total transaction of $1,100,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 65,649 shares in the company, valued at $3,610,695. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Big Lots by 1.8% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,640,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $79,233,000 after buying an additional 28,509 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its stake in shares of Big Lots by 1.7% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 98,893 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,777,000 after buying an additional 1,607 shares in the last quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Big Lots by 21.7% in the second quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 15,655 shares of the company’s stock worth $756,000 after buying an additional 2,794 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its stake in shares of Big Lots by 1.6% in the second quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 23,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,158,000 after buying an additional 369 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantitative Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Big Lots in the third quarter worth about $615,000.

COPYRIGHT VIOLATION NOTICE: This report was originally reported by Dispatch Tribunal and is the property of of Dispatch Tribunal. If you are viewing this report on another publication, it was illegally stolen and republished in violation of international copyright & trademark law. The correct version of this report can be viewed at https://www.dispatchtribunal.com/2018/02/20/big-lots-inc-big-expected-to-announce-earnings-of-2-42-per-share.html.

About Big Lots

Big Lots, Inc is a non-traditional, discount retailer operating in the United States. As of January 28, 2017, the Company operated a total of 1,432 stores. The Company operates through the discount retailing segment. As of January 28, 2017, the Company’s stores are located at various states of the United States, such as Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington.